Aelion woke before sunrise.
He knew immediately that something was wrong.
Not because of a sound.
Not because of a change in magic.
But because of himself.
He remembered something that should never have happened.
Yesterday.
The throne room.
Eryndor.
A kingdom that had emerged from the past.
The empty mural.
Thirty days.
And Lyra.
Especially one sentence he had spoken.
"Lyra, I love you."
Aelion closed his eyes.
The memory was still clear.
Too clear.
Yet when he opened his eyes...
everything had returned to normal.
The sun had not risen.
The bells had not rung.
And the room had not changed in the slightest.
Aelion stood.
He walked toward the mirror.
His reflection looked normal.
White hair.
Silver eyes.
The face of a Moon Elf.
No wounds.
No changes.
He touched the surface of the mirror.
"If yesterday never happened..."
He drew a breath.
"...then why do I still remember it?"
There was no answer.
Then the Moonveil flower on the table moved.
A single petal fell.
Aelion immediately picked it up.
Words appeared on its surface.
YOU REMEMBER BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO.
Aelion frowned.
"Who wrote this?"
The words changed.
THE QUESTION IS NOT WHO.
Then a second sentence appeared.
THE QUESTION IS WHY YOU REMEMBER.
Aelion stared at the flower.
For a while, he did not move.
Then there was a knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Aelion quickly hid the flower.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Lyra stood there.
"Good morning."
Aelion looked at her.
Something made his chest ache.
He still remembered his confession.
But to Lyra...
that day had never happened.
"Good morning."
Lyra studied him.
"You look weird."
"I didn't get much sleep."
"Why?"
"I had a dream."
"A bad one?"
Aelion smiled.
"I don't know."
Lyra stepped inside.
"Want to come to breakfast?"
Aelion nodded.
"Sure."
They walked out.
Everything was normal.
Too normal.
The guards still recognized Aelion.
The servants still greeted him.
His family portrait was still there.
There was no foreign kingdom.
No fracture.
No war.
No sign that reality had ever changed.
Aelion stopped in front of the mural.
He stared at the bottom.
His name was still there.
AELION VAELARIS.
Lyra turned toward him.
"What is it?"
Aelion smiled.
"Just making sure of something."
"What?"
"That I'm still here."
Lyra let out a small laugh.
"You're acting weird this morning."
Aelion smiled along with her.
But deep down...
he was beginning to feel afraid.
They arrived at the dining hall.
The king and queen were already seated.
Everything proceeded as usual.
The king discussed matters along the border.
The queen talked about preparations for the moon festival.
Lyra picked up some fruit.
Aelion was just about to touch his cup when...
a voice spoke.
"Don't drink it."
Aelion stopped.
The voice had not come from outside.
It was inside his head.
He stared at the cup.
There was nothing unusual about it.
Lyra looked at him.
"You don't want it?"
Aelion shook his head.
"I just..."
Suddenly, the cup cracked.
CRACK.
Everyone fell silent.
The king looked at him.
"What's going on?"
Aelion saw the tiny crack.
The liquid inside the cup turned black.
Then it evaporated.
No one else saw it.
All they saw was an empty cup.
Aelion stood.
"Don't eat anything."
The king frowned.
"What?"
"Something is wrong."
A servant panicked.
"Your Majesty?"
Aelion raised a hand.
"Everyone out."
No one moved.
The king stared at him.
"Aelion, explain yourself."
Aelion was about to answer.
But suddenly...
DONG!
The palace bells rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Aelion froze.
Exactly the same as yesterday.
The king stood.
"What was that?"
Aelion looked at the clock.
Its hands were moving backward.
11:59
Then...
11:58
11:57
Aelion understood immediately.
"Today is repeating itself."
Lyra stared at him.
"Repeating?"
Aelion nodded.
"We're back at the same point."
"Why?"
"Because someone doesn't want us to reach tomorrow."
Aelion ran outside.
Lyra followed him.
"Aelion!"
"Don't leave me behind."
"I won't."
They headed for the clock tower.
Aelion had seen it before.
But now the tower was different.
There were no guards.
No door.
Only a stone wall.
Aelion touched it.
Moonlight appeared.
A hidden door opened.
Lyra stared at it.
"How did you know?"
"I've been inside."
"When?"
Aelion fell silent.
"Yesterday."
Lyra frowned.
"We never came here yesterday."
"I know."
"Then how did you know about it?"
Aelion looked at her.
"That's the problem."
They went inside.
The stairs descended.
But this time, they did not lead to an underground chamber.
The stairs carried them somewhere completely different.
The walls were covered in clocks.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Every clock showed a different time.
Some showed morning.
Some showed night.
Some showed a time before Aelion was born.
Some showed a time after Elarion had been destroyed.
Lyra whispered:
"What is this place?"
Aelion answered:
"The space between time."
At the far end of the room stood a door.
Written above it were the words:
THE DAY THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
Aelion approached.
The door opened on its own.
Beyond it...
was the dining hall.
The same dining hall they had just left.
But everything was frozen.
The king was silent.
The queen was silent.
The servants were silent.
Lyra stood perfectly still.
Aelion turned around.
The real Lyra was still beside him.
But inside the room...
there was another Lyra.
Standing in the exact same place.
Aelion stared at her.
"That's..."
Lyra stepped closer.
"Me?"
"Yes."
Lyra touched her shadow-self.
Her hand passed straight through its body.
"Why are there two of me?"
Aelion answered:
"Because one is a version of the day that was erased."
Then Lyra's shadow moved.
It turned its head.
Its eyes went straight to Aelion.
"Aelion."
Aelion flinched.
The shadow spoke.
"I remember."
Aelion stepped closer.
"What do you remember?"
The shadow of Lyra smiled sadly.
"What you said to me."
Aelion fell silent.
The Lyra beside him stared at him.
"What did he say?"
The shadow answered:
"He said that he loved me."
The real Lyra froze.
Aelion closed his eyes.
He had hoped he would not have to say it again under circumstances like these.
But Lyra's shadow continued.
"And I never got the chance to answer."
Aelion opened his eyes.
"Why not?"
The shadow looked at him.
"Because time took that chance away."
Her body began to fade.
Aelion reached out.
"Wait."
The shadow smiled.
"You have to stop trying to save everyone."
"Why?"
"Because one day..."
She looked at the real Lyra.
"...you'll save the world."
Then she looked at Aelion.
"And lose yourself."
The shadow vanished.
The room was empty again.
Lyra did not speak.
Neither did Aelion.
A few seconds later, Lyra asked:
"Did you really say that?"
Aelion nodded.
"Yes."
"And I..."
She stopped.
"Didn't answer?"
"No."
Lyra lowered her head.
Aelion waited.
Then Lyra said:
"In that case..."
She raised her face.
"...don't die before I can answer."
Aelion fell silent.
His heart began beating faster.
Lyra gave him a small smile.
"That's an order."
Aelion laughed.
"All right."
They left the room.
But when they returned to the tower...
the sun had not moved.
Time was still at the same point.
11:57.
Aelion looked at the clock.
"We only have two minutes."
"For what?"
"I don't know."
Then the entire city shook.
BOOM!
The sky split open.
Not literally.
But a black line appeared between the clouds.
A fracture.
Chronos Rift.
Lyra raised her head.
"So this is what happens."
Aelion nodded.
"No."
"What?"
"This isn't the beginning."
Aelion stared at the fracture.
"It's the result."
Something emerged from inside the fracture.
A hand.
Then an arm.
Then a body.
The creature descended from the sky.
It stood dozens of meters tall.
Its body seemed to be made of clock fragments.
It had no eyes.
Only a black moon symbol.
Lyra drew her sword.
"A monster?"
Aelion shook his head.
"A guardian."
"A guardian of what?"
"The day."
The creature raised its hand.
The entire city froze.
Every sound vanished.
Aelion and Lyra could still move.
The creature looked at them.
Then a voice sounded directly inside their minds.
"RETURN THE STOLEN MEMORY."
Aelion raised his sword.
"I didn't steal it."
"YOU REMEMBER SOMETHING THAT WAS ERASED."
"Because I lived through it."
"THEN YOU MUST BE ERASED ALONG WITH IT."
The creature attacked.
Aelion shoved Lyra aside.
BOOM!
The ground shattered.
Aelion leaped.
Moonlight gathered around his sword.
LUNAR EDGE.
He slashed.
SHRAAAK!
The creature's body split apart.
But the severed pieces fused back together.
Aelion landed.
"Regeneration?"
Lyra attacked from the side.
WIND SPEAR!
Thousands of wind spears slammed into the creature's body.
They had no effect.
The creature raised its hand.
Lyra was sent flying.
"Lyra!"
Aelion caught her.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
Aelion saw the wound on her arm.
"Don't lie."
"It's just a scratch."
Aelion stared at the creature.
His eyes turned bright blue.
"In that case..."
His magical energy surged.
"...I won't hold back anymore."
Moonlight filled the entire city.
Aelion raised his sword.
But before he could attack...
a voice rang out.
"AELION."
He froze.
That voice...
was his own.
He turned.
A man stood atop the tower.
White hair.
Silver eyes.
The same face.
A future version of himself.
But this time, the man carried no sword.
He carried an hourglass.
Aelion stared at him.
"You again."
The future version nodded.
"Yes."
"Who are you, really?"
"I am the end result."
"The end result of what?"
"Your choices."
Aelion tightened his grip on his sword.
"I won't become like you."
The man smiled.
"That's exactly the problem."
He raised the hourglass.
The sand began to fall.
"Every time you try to avoid the future..."
He looked at Lyra.
"...you draw closer to it."
Aelion said:
"Then I'll destroy the future."
The future version smiled.
"Try."
The hourglass shattered.
CRAAASH!
The entire city changed.
The sky became night.
The buildings transformed.
The palace walls vanished.
The people disappeared.
Lyra stood alone in the middle of the street.
Aelion ran toward her.
"Lyra!"
Lyra turned.
But her gaze was empty.
"Do we know each other?"
Aelion stopped.
His chest felt shattered.
"Lyra..."
"Who are you?"
Aelion could not answer.
Then the future version appeared behind Lyra.
He said:
"This is the future you're afraid of."
Aelion clenched his fists.
"Not yet."
"What?"
"This hasn't happened yet."
Aelion looked at Lyra.
"I can still change it."
The future version shook his head.
"And that's what will destroy you."
Aelion raised his sword.
"Then let me be destroyed."
He pointed the sword at himself.
"As long as she stays alive."
The future version stared at him.
For the first time...
his smile disappeared.
"Don't."
Aelion was startled.
"Are you afraid?"
The future version looked at him.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I know what happens after that."
Aelion stepped forward.
"What?"
The future version answered:
"When you sacrifice yourself..."
He looked at Lyra.
"...you don't just lose your existence."
He looked at Aelion.
"All of reality loses its reason to remember you."
The clock showed:
11:58.
Aelion jolted.
He was back in the tower.
The time guardian still stood before them.
Lyra was still beside him.
There was no future version.
No empty city.
No future.
Only one minute had passed.
Aelion gasped for breath.
Lyra held his shoulder.
"What did you see?"
Aelion looked at her.
"The future."
"Was it bad?"
Aelion gave a faint smile.
"Very."
"How bad?"
"I lost you."
Lyra fell silent.
Aelion continued:
"But I won't let that happen."
Lyra took his hand.
"Then we'll find another way."
Aelion nodded.
Then he looked at the creature before them.
"You said I stole a memory."
The creature did not move.
Aelion continued:
"Then take it back."
Lyra looked at him.
"Aelion?"
Aelion raised his hand.
The Moonveil flower appeared.
He released the flower into the air.
White light exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
The creature screamed.
"STOP!"
Aelion smiled.
"So this flower really is the key."
The creature backed away.
For the first time...
it was afraid.
Aelion clasped Lyra's hand.
"Don't let go."
"I promise."
Moonlight enveloped them.
The creature attacked.
Aelion did not dodge.
He drove his sword into the ground.
LUNAR DOMAIN.
A massive magic circle appeared.
All time within its radius stopped.
The creature froze.
Aelion walked toward it.
"You're not the guardian of the day."
The creature could not move.
"You're the guardian of memory."
Aelion touched its body.
And all the creature's memories flooded into his mind.
Thousands of years.
Thousands of worlds.
Thousands of destructions.
Thousands of versions of Elarion.
Thousands of Aelions.
Thousands of Lyras.
And in every world...
the ending was the same.
Aelion died.
Lyra lived.
The world endured.
Aelion saw a pattern.
There was always one person who triggered the destruction.
Always the same person.
Someone whose face was never seen.
Aelion pulled his hand away.
"Who is he?"
The creature answered:
"YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN HIM."
"Where?"
"IN THE MIRROR."
Aelion fell silent.
The mirror.
His reflection.
A version of himself.
A shadow.
Then he understood.
His enemy was not someone from outside.
His enemy...
was a version of himself who had chosen a different path.
A version who believed that the only way to save the world...
was to erase Aelion from history.
The domain collapsed.
The creature vanished.
The clocks returned to normal.
11:59.
Aelion and Lyra stood in the middle of the city.
They had succeeded.
For the first time...
they had stopped one cycle of time.
Yet the victory did not feel like a victory.
Because Aelion knew something far worse.
He knew who his enemy was.
And he knew that enemy understood him better than anyone.
Night fell.
Aelion returned to the balcony.
Lyra stood beside him.
"Did you find the answer?"
Aelion nodded.
"Part of it."
"Who is our enemy?"
Aelion looked at the moon.
"Myself."
Lyra fell silent.
"I don't understand."
"I don't fully understand it either."
Then Aelion turned to her.
"But I do know one thing."
"What?"
"I won't let someone else decide whether I deserve to exist."
Lyra smiled.
"Good."
Aelion took out the Moonveil flower.
Only one petal remained.
He handed it to Lyra.
"Hold on to this."
"Why?"
"If I ever forget..."
Lyra looked at him.
"...or if the world forgets..."
Aelion closed Lyra's hand around the petal.
"...don't trust the world."
Lyra held it tightly.
"I'll trust you."
Aelion smiled.
"Thank you."
They stood together.
There was no confession.
No answer.
But this time...
Aelion did not feel the need to hurry.
Because he had finally realized something.
He did not need to know how this story ended.
He only needed to make sure...
that he was the one who chose its ending.
Far beyond Elarion...
a man stood before a mirror.
His hair was white.
His eyes were silver.
His face was identical to Aelion's.
But his body was covered in black fractures.
He looked at his reflection.
"He knows I exist now."
A voice answered from behind the mirror.
"Yes."
"How long?"
"Thirty days."
The man smiled.
"That's enough."
"Enough for what?"
The man touched the mirror.
Lyra appeared behind it.
She was asleep.
"To make him believe..."
He smiled.
"...that saving the world means losing himself."
The mirror changed.
Now Aelion appeared.
The man whispered:
"And when the time comes..."
Black fractures spread across his face.
"...he'll be the one to ask the world to forget him."
On the palace balcony...
Aelion suddenly snapped out of his reverie.
The Moonveil flower in Lyra's hand turned black.
Lyra looked at it.
"Aelion..."
Aelion immediately stood.
"What?"
The flower's petals opened.
Inside was a single sentence.
It was not written in ink.
It was written in blood.
DAY 1 OF 30.
Aelion stared at it.
He finally understood.
The thirty days Eryndor had mentioned...
were not an estimate.
They were a countdown.
And the first day...
had just begun.
To be continued.